"The Metamorphosis Machine!"

After reporting on the evening's news, Clark Kent is asked to return a film reel to S.T.A.R. Labs. At that same moment, the Man-Bat is breaking into S.T.A.R. Labs. As the alarm sounds, Man-Bat is enclosed within an energy sphere. Man-Bat tears up a piece of floor tiling, and hurls it into the ceiling projector for the shield, disabling it. Man-Bat is next attacked by robot security drones. It is at this moment that Superman arrives to lend a helping hand. Man-Bat escapes the robot's clutches, by popping a pill that transforms him back into Kirk Langstrom. With the final security droid destroyed. Langstrom explains his presence at S.T.A.R. Labs. Unbeknownst to the two men, their conversation is being eavesdropped upon by the Atomic Skull. With the Atomics Skull following them, Superman takes Langstrom back to his hotel. There, Langstrom introduces Superman to his wife, Francine, and his infant daughter, Rebecca. Due to the mutagenic formula the Langstroms use to become Man-Bat and She-Bat, their daughter was born with hyper sensitive hearing. Due to this ability, the child cannot sleep. Langstrom broke into S.T.A.R Labs to acquire a piece of technology to restore his daughter's hearing to normal levels. Though S.T.A.R. Labs has no such equipment, Superman believes he does, and carries the Langstroms to his Fortress of Solitude. The Atomic Skull follows. Superman runs a final check on a recent acquisition, an alien device that uses ultra-sonic waves to rearrange the molecular structure of organic matter. Before Superman can complete his work. the Atomic Skull, along with a female accomplice, storms the Fortress of Solitude. The Atomic Skull blitz attacks the Man of Steel, making off with the alien machine before anyone can react.

Langstrom transforms, and gives pursuit as Man-Bat. The Atomic Skull's female partner, Felicia, lays down a fog of poison gas to keep the Man-Bat at bay. Superman beats the Atomic Skull to his getaway ship, but is quickly felled by a blast from the alien device, which robs Superman of his ability to fly. After Man-Bat rescues him, Superman realizes that the device's ultra-sonic waves have changed the way his super powers work, allowing him to access only one super-power at a time. The Atomic Skull activates the cloaking device on his skull ship, but Man-Bat is able to locate the ship with his active sonar. Man-Bat carries Superman high into the air, then hurls his invulnerable body at the ship's hull. Superman crashes into the bridge, with Man-Bat right behind him. Man-Bat disarms Felicia, who flees with the alien device. Superman disables the triggering mechanism for the Atomic Skull's neural blasts. However, a stray burst has taken out the controls of the Atomic Skull's ship. The vessel suddenly lurches, pitching the Atomic Skull out of the hole created by Superman. Man-Bat catches up with Felicia, and finds her undergoing a strange transformation. As they struggle for the device, Felicia is accidentally bathed in it's ultra-sonic waves. With the Atomic Skull desperately clinging to the hull of the ship, Superman frantically gets the engines back online. The Atomic Skull falls to his death, with Superman powerless to save him. Superman learns, from reading the journals of the Atomic Skull, that Felicia was actually a black panther, that the Atomic Skull had given human form. The mutagenic process, however, proved fleeting, prompting the Atomic Skull to steal the alien device. Due to exposure to the ultra-sonic waves, Felicia has reverted back into a black panther. Superman uses the device to restore his powers, as well as Rebecca's hearing, to normal.

Whatever Happened to Rex, The Wonder Dog

Sheriff Case provides Detective Chimp with another picture of Rex, the Wonder Dog, for the simian's scrapbook. Detective Chimp, it turns out, is the Wonder Dog's biggest fan. Case brings Detective Chimp to a circus, where the Wonder Dog is performing a high wire act, for charity. Rex is introduced to Detective Chimp. The Wonder Dog gives Detective Chimp his dog collar as a souvenir. Criminals rob the circus, making off with $10,000.00 in charity receipts. Rex picks up their scent and, with Detective Chimp, trails them to the marina. Rex and Detective Chimp board the criminals' boat, which carries them to an island. On the island, Rex and Detective Chimp were attacked by an alligator. Though the Wonder Dog is able to repel their scaly antagonist, he is injured in the fight. Detective Chimp brings Rex water, and watches over Rex throughout the night. The next morning, Rex is fully recovered, and in fact, feeling better than the old dog has in years. Rex trails the thieves back to their cabin, then stages a fight with Detective Chimp to draw them out. Rex charges the two criminals, barreling them back into their boat. With Rex standing guard over the thieves, Detective Chimp pilots the boat back to the main land. With receipts recovered and the two thieves in custody, Rex parts company with Detective Chimp. Sheriff Case notices that Detective Chimp has regained a spryness not seen since the chimp was a baby. A visit to the doctor reveals that Detective Chimp is behaving perfectly normal for an 18 month old chimpanzee. Case realizes that the water Detective Chimp and Rex, the Wonder Dog consumed on the island must have come from the fabled Fountain of Youth. His vigor restored, Rex, the Wonder Dog enjoys many more years of adventure, to the delight of his greatest admirer, Detective Chimp. Young Danny Dennis joined NASA and as a Lieutenant Colonel went on a mission to the Moon with his faithful companion Rex.

Notes:

"The Metamorphosis Machine!" written by Martin Pasko, penciled by Curt Swan, inked by Vince Colletta, colored by Gene D'Angelo and lettered by Milt Snapinn.

"Whatever Happened to Rex the Wonder Dog" written by Mike Tiefenbacher, penciled and inked by Gil Kane, colored by Anthony Tollin and lettered by Gaspar.

This issue contains the Hostess Superhero Ad, Plastic Man and Woozy Winks in "Gold for Dessert".

Thanks, we're checking your submission.

Whoah, whoah... slow down there.

Thanks! Your changes are live!

Some of your changes are live

Because you're new to wiki editing, we sent your
submission off to our moderators to check it over. Most
changes are approved within a few hours. We'll send an
email when it is.

Once you've earned over points you'll be able
to bypass this step and make live edits to our system.
Until then, gain points by continuing to edit pages.

No changes were submitted, nothing was done! Please make changes to the wiki!

Thanks for continuing to improve the site. Some of your changes are
now live. However, some of your changes were sent to moderation because you do not
have enough points to make those live edits. You need points to
live edit the changes you commited.

For the changes that went through, our robot math gave you points for this
submission.

Thanks for continuing to improve the site. Your changes are
now live. Our robot math gave you points for this
submission.